Chapter 28
727 Words
Chapter 28
Rowan didn’t answer her immediately.
That scared Kaia more than anything else he’d said so far.
The silence stretched between them while rain continued tapping softly against the cabin windows, steady and cold. Somewhere deeper in the house, old pipes groaned faintly beneath the storm.
Kaia folded her arms tightly across herself. “You hesitating is not helping my confidence right now.”
A tired breath escaped him.
“I’m trying to figure out how much to tell you.”
“That should probably concern me too.”
“It does.”
The answer came so quickly it almost startled her.
Rowan rubbed a hand across the back of his neck before turning away briefly, like even standing still had become difficult for him. “There are stories older than the current territories,” he said finally. “Older than Blackwater. Most wolves think they’re myths now.”
Kaia leaned carefully against the counter, her shoulder still aching. “And you don’t.”
“No.”
Something in his tone made her stomach twist again.
Rowan looked toward the storm-dark windows before continuing. “There were bloodlines once that carried stronger instincts. Stronger wolves. Wolves who could influence others without even trying.”
Kaia frowned slightly. “That sounds like Alpha genetics.”
“It’s not.”
The sharpness in his voice made her straighten.
Rowan looked back at her then, his expression unreadable again. “Alphas lead packs. That’s power earned through dominance.” His jaw tightened slightly. “This is different.”
A cold feeling crept slowly down her spine.
“What kind of different?”
He was quiet for a second too long.
“The kind people kill for.”
The room seemed smaller after that.
Kaia stared at him while her pulse thudded unevenly beneath her ribs. “You think that’s me?”
“I know your wolf isn’t normal.”
Fear flashed hot and sharp through her chest before anger followed immediately behind it. “You keep saying things like that without actually explaining anything.”
“Because I don’t have all the answers.”
“That’s not good enough anymore.”
Her voice cracked harder than she intended.
Rowan’s expression shifted slightly at that. Not softer exactly. Worse. Like hearing fear in her voice did something to him he didn’t know how to deal with.
Kaia looked away first, forcing herself to breathe evenly. “Ever since I got here, everything feels wrong. My wolf keeps reacting before I do. Half the pack looks at me like they’re waiting for something to happen.” Her throat tightened. “And now rogues are trying to kidnap me.”
“They won’t touch you again.”
The promise came instantly.
Dangerously.
Kaia looked back at him sharply.
Because for one brief second—
Rowan didn’t sound angry.
He sounded murderous.
The realization settled heavily between them.
Rowan seemed to notice it too because he stepped back slightly, tension returning to his shoulders. “You should stay here until we know who’s behind this.”
Kaia blinked at him. “Stay here?”
“It’s safer.”
“In a hidden cabin in the middle of nowhere?”
“Yes.”
A disbelieving laugh escaped her. “You cannot honestly think I’m agreeing to that.”
“You almost died yesterday.”
“And hiding me won’t stop this!”
Her voice echoed through the kitchen before silence dropped heavily afterward.
Neither of them moved.
Rain hammered harder against the roof again.
Finally Kaia shook her head slowly. “You don’t get to decide what happens to me anymore, Rowan.”
Something dark flickered across his expression at the words.
Not anger.
Something more conflicted than that.
“You think I want this?” he asked quietly.
Kaia opened her mouth before stopping herself.
Because no—
For the first time since coming to Blackwater…
She didn’t think he did.
Rowan looked exhausted suddenly. Not physically. Something deeper than that. Like he’d been carrying the weight of this alone for too long.
“When I rejected you,” he said carefully, “I thought distance would keep you out of this.”
Kaia’s chest tightened painfully.
“But it didn’t,” she whispered.
His eyes locked onto hers.
“No.” His voice lowered. “It brought you straight into it.”
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